Device for air temperature control in a vehicle

ABSTRACT

In a device for air temperature control in a vehicle either by use of a valve unit to control a portion of coolant and thereby the temperature of air flowing from the temperature control element, by a temperature of coolant controlled by said thermostat, or by speed of said fan, individually and independently from one another.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 09/597,709 filed on Jun. 21, 2000 which in turn is a continuation-in-part of patent application Ser. No. 09/210,695 filed on Dec. 14, 1998.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a device for controlling air temperature in a vehicle.

[0003] Devices of the above mentioned general type are known in the art. Air controlling or air conditioning devices are known which use an evaporator and a fan supplying the cooled air and located in the vehicle compartment under a dashboard. In this construction the air guides are separated from the heater. Such a location of the air conditioning device distorts comfort layers in the vehicle space by introducing a concentrated mass of cooled air into the central part of the space which settles in the lower part of the space. Hot air is displaced to the sealing. The separation of the air conditioning unit and the heating unit are not advisable, also due to increased costs.

[0004] When a car travels at high speed on a hot summer day, it will require considerable refrigerating capacity to keep the interior at a comfortable temperature. The same car, traveling on a cold winter day, will require considerable heating capacity.

[0005] Another automobile air conditioner uses a refrigerating system driven by the car engine to furnish cooling action. Warm engine coolant usually provides heat to the passenger compartment when needed. Conditioning the air in the interior of a car involves heating and cooling. The heat to warm the passenger is usually provided by circulating of hot coolant through a heater core. The engine water pump forces the warm coolant through the heater hoses and inside of the heater core. When cooling is needed, the air conditioning system is brought into operation. It uses an evaporator inside a plenum chamber to cool the air circulated through the passenger compartment. The car engine, using a belt, drives the compressor to pump through the system.

[0006] Some devices of the above mentioned general type are disclosed in your U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,017,579; 2,068,475; 2,106,515; 2,787,129; 3,059,449; 3,753,462; 3,990,505; German patents numbers 2,044,958; 2,158,408, 2204950 and 2,101,955; and Japanese patent no. 0217095.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for controlling air temperature in a vehicle, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0008] In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated, in a device which has means forming a first circuit for circulation of a coolant; means forming a second circuit for circulation of a refrigerant; means for connecting said first circuit with an engine for heating the coolant; means for providing a heat exchange between said second circuit and said first circuit for cooling said coolant; a single air temperature regulating element; and means for alternatively connecting said first means to said single air temperature regulating element so that when said coolant is heated from the engine and supplied through said first means said single air temperature regulating element heats air in the vehicle, or connecting said second means with said single air temperature regulating element so that when said coolant in said first circuit is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant of the second circuit and the cooled coolant is supplied to said single air temperature regulating element to cool air in the vehicle; and a heat exchanger which provides a heat exchange between the coolant of said first circuit and the refrigerant of said second circuit; refrigerant supply means for supplying refrigerant into said heat exchanger; and refrigerant withdrawal means connected with said heat exchanger so as to withdraw the refrigerant simultaneously from all said groups, said refrigerant supply means including a compressor which is drivable from a main engine through a clutch and a belt to transmit power from a vehicle engine to said compressor, said clutch being operated and automatically controlled by a thermostat which responds to changes in air temperature within a vehicle compartment, such that operation of said clutch serves for starting and stopping of said compressor in response to changes of temperature in a cooling mode; fan means; and valve means provided between a heater core and said heat exchanger, so that temperature can be controlled either by use of said valve means to control a portion of coolant and the temperature, by a temperature of coolant controlled by said thermostat, or by speed of said fan, individually and independently from one another.

[0009] When the device is designed in accordance with the present invention it eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art and provides for the highly advantageous results in improvement of a comfortability of air heating or cooling and reducing the costs of the system of air temperature control.

[0010] The present invention excludes evaporator, a heater-exchanger is installed instead, and is formed in a special inventive way to provide efficient and reliable operation of the system.

[0011] The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a device for air temperature control in a vehicle; and

[0013]FIG. 2 is a view showing the inventive device mounted in a vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] A device for air temperature control in a vehicle has an air outlet unit provided in several outlets and identified with reference numeral 1. A known heater core 2 is located before an inlet of the unit 1, and a fan 3 which is driven by a motor 4 is located behind the heater core so as to blow air with a temperature provided by the heater core into the air outlet unit 1. The motor 4 can be adjusted by an adjusting member 4′, to thereby adjust the flow of air from the fan 3.

[0015] A vehicle engine 5 is connected by a hot coolant supply conduit 6 with the heater core 2. A valve 7 is located between the conduit 6 and the heater core 2. A return conduit 8 connects the outlet of the heater core 2 to the engine 5 and is provided with a control valve 23. A valve 9 controls a portion of the hot coolant in the heater core 2 for temperature control.

[0016] The device further has a compressor 10 which supplies a vaporous refrigerant to a condenser 11. The thusly liquified refrigerant is supplied through a refrigerant supply conduit 12 into a heat exchanger 13 in which it cools the coolant and is returned through a return conduit 14. An expansion valve 15 is provided in the refrigerant supply conduit 12. A thermostat 16 operates a solenoid clutch 17 from the motor 5 controls an operation time of the compressor and therefore a cooling operation of the system.

[0017] The coolant which is cooled in the heat exchanger 13 in heat exchange with the refrigerant is supplied through the cold coolant supply conduit 17 by a water pump 18 operated by a motor 19, to the heater core 2. A valve 20 is provided in the conduit 17. An coolant return conduit 21 connects an outlet of the heater core 2 with the heat exchanger 13 and is provided with a valve 22. A valve 9 controls a portion of the hot coolant in the heater core for temperature control.

[0018] The device for controlling air temperature in a vehicle in accordance with the present invention operates in the following manner.

[0019] When it is necessary to heat air in vehicle space, the valves 20 and 22 are closed and the valves 7 and 23 are open. The coolant heated by the engine 5 is supplied through the conduit 6 into the heat core and heats the same, and the blower 3 blows the air through the heated heater core 2 into the air outlet unit 1 so as to heat the inner space of the vehicle. The slightly cooled coolant is returned back to the engine 5 through the conduit 8.

[0020] When it is necessary to cool air in the vehicle space, the valves 7 and 23 are closed and the valves 20 and 22 are open. The coolant which is cooled in the heat exchanger 13 is supplied through the conduit 17 into the heater core 2 and cools the same, and the blower 3 blows cold air into the air outlet unit 1, whereupon the slightly heated air coolant is returned back into the heat exchanger 13 through the conduit 21. In the inventive device the temperature therefore can be controlled by the use of the valve 9 for controlling a portion of coolant and thereby temperature of air flowing out of the output 1, the temperature of coolant can be controlled by the thermostat 25 cooperating with the clutch 16, and the speed of the fan 3 can be controlled manually by the member 4′. These controls can be performed individually and separately from one another, or jointly.

[0021] It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

[0022] While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in device for air temperature control in a vehicle, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

[0023] Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

[0024] What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims. 

1. A device for air temperature control in a vehicle, comprising means forming a first circuit for circulation of a coolant; means forming a second circuit for circulation of a refrigerant; means for connecting said first circuit with an engine for heating the coolant; means for providing a heat exchange between said second circuit and said first circuit for cooling said coolant; an air temperature regulating element; and means for alternatively connecting said first means to said air temperature regulating element so that when said coolant is heated from the engine and supplied through said first means said air temperature regulating element heats air in the vehicle, or connecting said second means with said air temperature regulating element so that when said coolant in said first circuit is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant of the second circuit and the cooled coolant is supplied to said air temperature regulating element to cool air in the vehicle; and a heat exchanger which provides a heat exchange between the coolant of said first circuit and the refrigerant of said second circuit; refrigerant supply means for supplying refrigerant into said heat exchanger; and refrigerant withdrawal means connected with said heat exchanger so as to withdraw the refrigerant from said heat exchanger, said refrigerant supply means including a compressor which is drivable from a main engine through a clutch and a belt to transmit power from a vehicle engine to said compressor, said clutch being operated and automatically controlled by a thermostat which responds to changes in air temperature within a vehicle compartment, such that operation of said clutch serves for starting and stopping of said compressor in response to changes of temperature in a cooling mode; fan means; and valve means provided between a heater core and said heat exchanger, so that temperature can be controlled either by use of said valve means to control a portion of coolant and thereby the temperature of air flowing from the temperature control element, by a temperature of coolant controlled by said thermostat, or by speed of said fan, individually and independently from one another.
 2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said heat exchanger includes a container through which said coolant is passed, and a plurality of tubes extending through said container and through which the refrigerant is passed, said tubes being arranged so as to form a plurality of group of tubes with said groups spaced from one another in a vertical direction and not connected with one another, while the tubes within each group are connected in series with one another, said refrigerant supply means supplying said refrigerant simultaneously into all said groups. 